1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the art of solar energy collectors of the type in which air is used as the heat transfer medium to carry heat from the collector to its location of use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those conversant with the art of solar collectors as it currently exists are aware that many different arrangements of solar collector modules of the air type have been manufactured and marketed with the basic elements including, as in the case of the present invention, an absorber, heat exchanger surface for transferring the solar heat to the air to be heated, a transparent glass or plastic cover to permit the solar insolation to be absorbed by the plate and reduce heat loss back away from the absorber, a box or frame containing the absorber and connected to the covers and cooperating with the absorber plate to provide a passage for the flow of air through the box, and thermal insulation for limiting heat losses from the box. While typically the currently available collector modules are normally installed exteriorly of a finished exterior surface, such as a roof, of a building it is known to integrate some of the collector modules into the building structure to form a part thereof.
The typical commercial collectors available include a box or frame of metal construction such as extruded aluminum or rolled steel and the assembly of the component parts of the collector with the box involves gaskets, hole drilling, and fastening with bolts and nuts or screws. The metal frame is expensive, adds considerable weight, and the assembly process including the fastening incurs substantial labor costs. A typical glass covered collector of the type of construction described and having nominal dimensions of about 2 feet .times. 8 feet will weigh in the neighborhood of 100 lbs. or more. As a result, such heavy collectors are not only relatively expensive to make, but are also more expensive to ship, and considerably more difficult to handle in installation.
The aim of my invention is to provide a relatively lightweight, materially lower cost and easier to handle solar collector which is also adapted to be integrated into the building structure to form a part thereof.